Tools of the Trade

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Tools of the Trade

Many people have stumbled into the candle market in unique and different ways, including our company. Candlewic was started back in 1972
when a Cub Scout project of pouring wax into a milk carton developed into what it is today: one of the largest candle suppliers in the world.

Like most small businesses, the startup for the Candlewic Company was very modest, and many candle companies started in that same way, either in
a kitchen or a basement with nothing more than wax and a milk carton. So the question is: what do you really need to get started with items other
than the raw materials?

The most obvious starting point is a means to melt the wax. Most people start with the pouring pot, which generally holds 4 pounds of wax. This
pot is placed in a pot with hot water to create a double boiler. When wax is up to the proper temperature, the fragrance and color is added right
into this pouring pot, then poured into the container, molds or vessel. There is a smaller pot, which holds 1 pound, making it easier for pouring
smaller candles like votives and tarts, but it will not melt as much wax.

However, before pouring you will absolutely need a thermometer. As we have featured in previous issues, pouring temperatures are extremely
important, no matter which wax you may be using. Thermometers can be as simple as your basic candle/ candy thermometer or as sophisticated
as ones used in scientific applications. The hand held thermometers can be very useful to read surface temperatures when pouring containers.
With these 2 essential products you can now determine the other items you need based on the type of candles you wish to make.

One of the advantages of making container candles is that when you have the pouring pot and thermometer you are ready to go and the vessels you pour
into can be sold. However, to make the best container candle you may want to look at some additional accessories. The
Bow Tie clip M-503 is one of the items we highly recommend and can be used in
most containers, tins and other vessels to ensure the wick is centered. These are fairly inexpensive and will last for many pours.

Another product that can help are the glue dots, although I am not sure if they
would be considered a raw material or accessory. Either way, they should always be part of the candle making process. Glue dots ensure the wick is
centered in the bottom of the container, and they are very easy to use.

Pillars require a little more investment to get started. There are many choices and options with pillar molds, like aluminum, polycarbonate and tin.
The shape you wish to make dictates which type of mold to use. Aluminum molds are most effective for your standard shapes and sizes, like round, square
and octagon. When making unique types of candles the polycarbonate would be the molds of choice. They tend to run more, but there many unique designs available.

When making round pillars a nice product to help make the process easier are the pillar pins.
These are the easiest way to ensure the mold will not leak and the wick is centered the entire length of the candle.

If making some of the other items like tarts, clamshells, tea lights and votives, the pouring pot, thermometer and molds are all you need. However, one of the
items that will make your votives a breeze are votive pins, the companion
to the pillar pin. These are very easy to use. Be sure to check out this month's project to see how to use them.

As you can see, starting your small business, hobby or passion can be done on a minimal budget.

Since we combined the May and June issues together, I have a number of questions that have come up.

Why can't the pouring pot be placed directly on the heat source?

When making candles, no matter how neat you try to pour, some amount of wax will run down the sides of the pouring pot. After this wax hardens and you place
the pouring pot directly back on the heat source, the wax on the outside of the pouring pot will run down the sides and into the flame or coils of the heater.
Placing the pouring pot in a pot with hot water ensures your wax can be melted safely.

Can any soy wax be used to make pillars, votives?

Unfortunately there is a limited number of Soy waxes suitable for making pillars. Soy waxes generally have a very low melt point and cannot be used to make
pillars. The wax will not shrink and is very brittle, in most instances. The
ECO-Soya PB wax is very
good for making pillars, however.

Related News

What another exciting year it has been and we wanted to sincerely thank each and every customer for their support this past year. We are now entering our 44th year in business helping candle makers of all sizes. We have many exciting announcements in store for 2014 and we will be making them in the upcoming months but the one thing you can always count on from us is to continue to deliver quality products at the most competitive prices. Our staff is here to help you with all of your needs if is picking a great fragrance, guidance on a wax or narrowing down your wick selection we are here to help.

On behalf of the Candlewic Company we hope everyone enjoys this year's "Black Thanksgiving". The growing trend has been for more and more retailers to now open on Thanksgiving Day and begin their extraordinary offers. While opening Thanksgiving is not necessarily new the number of retailers doing this is definitely growing. No longer do they seem satisfied with opening up at Midnight, 5 AM and other odd hours on Black Friday they feel picking up the extra day might get them in the "black" faster. Should be an interesting trend to watch in the future now what is going to be interesting question is anyone ever going to open Christmas morning?

There is no doubt the fall season is the busiest for most candle makers. Many candle makers are fully immersed in their candles for the holiday season. However, there is still time to make sure you have an extremely successful holiday season.